Self-winding watch



' -Nov. 5, 1963 R. POLO SELF-WINDING WATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March22, 1961 Nov. 5, 1963 R. POLO SELF-WINDING WATCH FiledMarch 22. 1961 2Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Ofi" 3,109,281 Patented Nov. 5, 19633,109,281 SELF-WINDING WATCH Raymond Polo, La Chaux-de-Fonds,Switzerland, assignor to Fabriques Movado, La Chaux-de-Fonds,Switzerland, :1 Swiss firm Filed Mar. 22, 1961, 521'. No. 97,630 Ciaimspriority, application Switzerland Mar. 30, 1960 Claim. (Cl. 58-82) Myinvention has for its object a self-winding watch, the winding of whichis obtained through a rocking mass and wherein the barrel controls thebalance wheel through the agency of a gearing including a sweep secondsgear. According to the present invention, the latter is the only gear ofsaid gearing to be located centrally, said sweep seconds gear and theescape gear being fitted between the pillar plate and a bar carried bythe latter while the support of the winding rocking mass and the part ofthe gearing connecting the latter with the barrel lies above the twolast-mentioned gears.

The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of examplc a preferredembodiment of a watch according to my invention. In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is 'a diagrammatic plan view of a watch move ment of theself-winding type in which the arrangement of radially meshing gears isillustrated.

FIG. 2. is a reduced diagrammatic plan view showing ordinary wheeltrains of FIG. 1 connecting the driving barrel to the escape gear.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-section of FIG. 2 showing the relative axialpositions and radial extent of the pillar plate, the train wheel bridgeand a bar secured to the pillar plate and spaced axially therefrom.

FIG. 4 is a reduced diagrammatical plan view similar to FIG. 2 andshowing the wheel trains of FIG. 1 of the self-winding mechanismconnecting the pinion of the eccentric wei-ght to the driving barrel.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-section of FIG. 4 showing the relative axialposition and radial extent of the pillar plate, a part of interconnectedsuperposed bridges, and the bar of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section of FIG. 1 through line VI-VI of FIG. 1,showing the position of a known winding device relative to the geartrains and bridges of FIGS. 1-5.

The watch illustrated includes :a barrel 1 fitted between the pillarplate 8 and'the barrel bridge 9; said barrel drives the large drivingwheel 2 constituted by the pinion 2a and the wheel 2b; the latter geardrives the third gear 3 which includes a pinion 3a and a wheel 3b; saidthird wheel 3b drives in its turn the sweep seconds gear 4 including apinion 4a and a wheel 4b. Lastly the sweep seconds wheel 4b drives theescape gear 5 including a inion 5a and a wheel 5b which lattercooperates with the pallet fork 6 cooperating in its -iurn with thebalance wheel 7. 1-1 designates the balance cock; The two gears 2 and 3,carrying the large driving wheel and third wheel are fitted between thepillar plate 8 and the train wheel bridge 10. The sweep seconds andescape gears above which none of the train wheels described hereinaboveare located, are fitted between the pillar plate 8 and a bridge 12secured to the latter and under which the wheel 3b of the third gear 3also extends.

The automatic winding mechanism includes a secondary frame constitutedby two bridges 13 and 14. Bridge 13 is secured to the pillar plate bymeans of screws 13a and 13b, and bridge 14 is secured to bridge 1.3 bymeans of screws 14a and 14b (FIGURE 4). The lower bridge 13 extendslaterally over bridge 12, further than bridge 14, so as to reach overthe sweep seconds wheel. Along the axis of the latter, there is securedto the lateral extension of the bridge 13 and preferably overhangingcoaxially with the sweep seconds wheel, a stud 15, around which at leastone cylindric jewel 16 fixed to the hub 17 of the oscillating weight mayrevolve freely. The oscillating weight includes a radial arm 18 and aneccentric counterweight 19. '20 designates a gib holding the hub 17 atthe desired height. As shown in FIG. 6 in cross-section through thelegs, U-shaped gib 20 is a well known constituent part of a watch and ismounted on the frame thereof. The hub '17 carries teeth 21 meshing withthe pinion 22 forming the first gear of the barrel-Winding train andcontrolling in its turn a conventional reversing gear 23 which need notbe described with further detail and which provides for the winding ofthe barrel for both directions of oscillation of the weight 1819. Saidreversing gear includes two gears 24 and 25, the pinion of the gear 25meshing with the ratchet wheel forming part of the barrel through theagency of an intermediate pinion 25a. Of course, in accordance with amodification which is not illustrated, the stud 15 \may be shiftedlaterally with reference to the axis of the sweep seconds wheel.

The time indicating means arranged underneath the sweep seconds wheelinclude a sleeve 26 secured to the pillar plate 8 and inside which isrevolvably mounted the spindle 27 carrying the sweep seconds hand andgear. Round said sleeve 26 may revolve freely the cannon pinion 2 8round which the hour wheel 29 revolves in its turn. 31 is a gear, thepinion 31a of which meshes with the hour wheel 29 while its wheel 31brigid with said pinion meshes with the cannon pinion 28 and with thepinion 32 fitted with slight friction over the spindle of the largedriving gear 2.

33 designates the time setting stem the axis of which extends inparallelism with the pillar plate; said stem is provided at its innerend with a pinion 34 adapted to rotate the pinion 32 through theintermediate gears 35 and 36 mounted for rotation on a small bridge 8asecured to the pillar plate '8. Pinion 32 in turn engages wheel 31b asstated above to drive the cannon pin-ion 28 and the hour wheel .29through pinion 31a affixed to wheel 32b.

Whereas in the case of an-ordinary sweep seconds movement, the sweepseconds gear and the center gear are superposed, the present embodimentis provided cent-rallyonly with the sweep seconds gear and, above thesmall bridge 12 underneath which are fitted the said sweep seconds andescape gears, there is fitted the spindle 15 for the oscillating weight.The arm 18 of said weight extends above and beyond the movement, whichallows giving the eccentric weight =19 a maximum momentum of inertia; incontradistinction, the actual support of said weight and the trainconnecting the latter with the barrel do not extend beyond the watchmovement; this leads to the execution of a movement of a reduced height,wherein however the oscillating weight lies above the train.

What I claim is:

'In a self winding watch, the combination of a sweep seconds gear, adriving barrel extending laterally of said sweep seconds gear, an escapegear, controlled by said 3 sweep seconds gear and disposed laterallythereof, a balance wheel co-operating with said escape gear, a pillarplate extending underneath said sweep seconds gear and said escape gear,a first bridge rigid with the plate and revolva'bly carrying the twolast-mentioned gears in a space between it and said plate, a windingweight adapted to oscillate round an axis substantially coaxial with thesweep seconds gear and disposed above said plate and first bridge, -atrain of gears operatively connecting the barrel with the sweep secondsgear and disposed extending laterally thereof, a secondary :frarnecomprising two bridges one over the other secured to said pillar plateand arranged over said first bridge in a horizontal space remaining freebetween the barrel and the balance wheel, said sweep seconds gearmeshing with the escape gear, a stud secured to 15 the lower one of saidtwo bridges, a winding weight pivotal References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,981,055 "Froidevaux et a1 Apr. 25,196 1 FOREIGN PATENTS 511,291 7 Switzerland Jan. 31, 1956 338,777Switzerland July '15, 1959 340L773 Switzerland Oct. 15, 1959 1,225,705France Feb. 22, 1960 1,230,130 France Mar. 28, 11960

